Shortly before 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 10th, a motorcyclist was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Canoga Park. While traveling southbound on De Soto Avenue, the rider was struck by a pickup truck turning left onto Nordhoff Street from a northbound lane, the impact throwing him into a utility pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver did not stop to administer aid. Authorities described him as a Latino man in his 30s with a light complexion and a moustache. Witnesses or anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of the driver have been asked to call the Valley Traffic division at 818-644-8000.

“Despite laws requiring drivers to remain at the scene of an accident, hit-and-run remains a serious problem in the state,” explained California personal injury lawyer James Ballidis.

Los Angeles County accounted for 80 of the 383 fatalities and 2,709 of the 10,470 injuries suffered by motorcyclists in traffic accidents throughout the state in 2009, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. That year, collisions involving hit-and-run drivers claimed 185 lives and injured 20,260 people in the state. California Vehicle Code Section 20001 requires drivers to stop at the scene of a crash or face fines of between $1,000 and $10,000 and/or imprisonment for one to four years.

All of us at Allen, Flatt, Ballidis, and Leslie would like to offer our condolences to the family of the motorcyclist who was killed in the hit-and-run accident last Saturday.

Resources for accident victims and their families, including books and articles on investigating a motorcycle accident and pursuing an injury or wrongful death claim, are available to the public free of charge.